[Hidden-tech] eBay Newbie Questions

[Jeff Rutherford]

Ron,

I've sold a lot on eBay. Not as much recently, but I've sold a lot.

Here are some answers.

* If I put an item out to auction, can I set a minimum price?

Yes. I've always started my auctions super low, because I've noticed that
once people start bidding, it can drive the price upwards. So why but a
barrier for people to jump in and start bidding? In fact, I've started
plenty of auctions with a 1 penny bid.

* Do I set a time limit on an auction or does eBay impose this on me as 
a seller?

Yes, you get a selection of time limits when you begin an auction. There
have been lots of studies about the time length. I usually go for 7 days.

* If I reach the end of an auction, and I'm not happy with the highest 
bid, am obligated to sell anyway? If I don't, would this affect my 
rating as a seller?

Unless, you set a reserve (a minimum amount that must be bid for you to sell
the item), you MUST sell the item regardless of the final price. If you
don't ship the item and complete the auction, you will absolutely get BAD
feedback from the buyer, because that's not how eBay works. Again, there
have been tons of studies about whether or not setting a Reserve impacts
your auction. Plenty of people think that setting a reserve reduces the
number of bids and interest.

Best,

Jeff

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-----Original Message-----
From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net
[mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net] On Behalf Of Ron
Miller
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 10:14 AM
To: Hidden-Tech
Subject: [Hidden-tech] eBay Newbie Questions

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Hi:
I've opened an eBay account and I want to begin selling some things, but 
I'm not clear how to go about it and the eBay Getting Started pages are 
less than helpful.

Specifically I want to know:

* If I put an item out to auction, can I set a minimum price?

* Do I set a time limit on an auction or does eBay impose this on me as 
a seller?

* If I reach the end of an auction, and I'm not happy with the highest 
bid, am obligated to sell anyway? If I don't, would this affect my 
rating as a seller?

Thanks,
Ron

Ron Miller
Freelance Technology Writing Since 1988
Contributing Editor, EContent Magazine

email: ronsmiller at comcast.net
web: http://www.ronsmiller.com
blog: http://byronmiller.typepad.com

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